by Elle Boon
Joni heard howling rent the air. Not knowing what kind of animals made those kinds of noises had her heart nearly crashing through her chest. She sat up against the iron headboard clutching the sheet between her fists. Her wolf raked against her skin yet wouldn’t come out. “You scaredy puppy,” she whispered in the dark. Her eyes adjusted, making out the shapes of the room. With a quick glance at her watch, she realized it was just past three thirty in the morning, almost two and a half hours before she was due to meet with Annie and open the store. “Well, at least I can see in the dark, so there’s that,” she muttered.
Being a shifter who couldn’t shift anymore sucked hairy monkey balls. Her thought made her giggle. Someone had to of sucked a monkey ball in order to realize it wasn’t a good thing, or they had a really good imagination. She hoped it was the latter instead of the former. Deciding her sleep for the night was done, she got out of bed. Without turning on any lights, since she didn’t want to wake the Wilde’s, she fixed the covers, placing the decorative pillows back how Annie had them. The kitchen had a Keurig, which she quickly turned on, then she took a quick shower. By the time she got out, the coffee machine was ready for a quick cup and so was she. Joni wasn’t quite a bear without coffee, but she definitely needed a pick me up after only five hours of sleep.
Her watch read four fifteen, leaving her a lot of time left to sit and do nothing, or she could go for a run. Hollis and Annie didn’t say she was to stay inside, and it wasn’t as if she was going to go far. Since her wolf was being a riotous brat, Annie needed to burn energy and found running a great way to do it.
With her running shoes on along with the proper clothing, she set out, finding a trail that looked like it was regularly used. She plopped her earbuds in and ran, her legs and arms moving while she let her mind wander. Her wolf, while unable to burst free, moved closer to the surface, making Joni sigh with contentment. Out here on the farm, she could run faster, allowing herself more freedom to be more like herself and not worry human eyes could see she wasn’t quite like them.
She was so lost in her thoughts and the ease it was to move along the well beaten path, she didn’t notice that anyone was trailing her until she nearly ran into the chest of the huge man. A gasp escaped her, followed by a scream that had birds taking flight.
Joni pulled an earbud out. “Holy shit! I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there,” she breathed out, taking a step backward. Fuck, he was huge, and menacing looking, wearing only a pair of low slung sweatpants with sweat rolling down his chest.
“You should watch where you’re going, little one. There’s danger all around you,” he growled.
She nodded, looking around and noticing she couldn’t see the farm or anything familiar. Of course, she only had to turn around and run back the way she’d come, her mind and body had a way of zeroing in on things like that. However, if this big behemoth of a man decided to pounce, she’d be screwed. Gah, don’t think like that Joni.
“Where you coming from?” he asked.
Joni waved her hand behind her. “I’m staying with the Wilde’s,” she answered honestly.
The man’s shoulders relaxed; a sigh escaped. “Another lost one, huh? Let me show you the way back.” He waved a hand toward the trail.
She shook her head. “I can find my way, thank you,” she argued.
He took a deep breath, then let it out. “What are you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Ah, there you are. Annie was worried when she called on you for breakfast. You an early morning runner, Vanessa?”
Joni spun to face Hollis. “Son-of-a-bitch, Hollis, you’re gonna give me a heart attack.” Her hand went to her chest. “You know this guy?” She pointed with her thumb over her shoulder toward the shirtless man.
Hollis nodded. “Yep, that’s Oaklyn. He’s one of ours.”
“Do all your people walk around half nekkid?” She looked Oaklyn up and down, taking in the fact he wore nothing but a pair of sweats.
Oaklyn shrugged. “My cabin’s over there. I heard you running out here and came to see who it was. I only had time to slip something on, otherwise you’d have had a real eyeful.” He winked.
“Oak,” Hollis warned.
The big man named Oaklyn or Oak just grinned. “Since she appears to be harmless, I’m heading back to get ready for the day. She going to be around long?”
“We’ll see,” Hollis said.
Joni was sure she heard a growl, almost as if he was warning the other man, but then again her stomach was rumbling something fierce. Obviously last night’s feast had made her appetite grow, and now she’d need to eat more, which meant she’d need to work out more since she wasn’t shifting and expending the energy like most shifters. Or, she’d become even curvier.
“Come on, I’ll walk back with you.” Hollis held his arm out.
“Oh, you came looking for me? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you two. I usually go for a run in the mornings. I should’ve told you guys.” She ducked her head.
Hollis touched her ear, the earring covered most of the damage. “This had to have hurt,” he stated, his voice deep and angry.
“It happened a long time ago.” Her hand came up, covering the damage.
“Annie made waffles. I hope you like them.” His gruff change of subject didn’t go unnoticed, nor did she miss the words he muttered too low for most humans to hear of him calling her a liar, but there was no heat behind them. No, she only felt compassion rolling off him.
“I love waffles, but my ass and hips are probably going to hate them.” She grinned.
Chapter Four
Joni added another item to the spreadsheet shaking her head at the jumbled mess Annie had the books in. Lordy the woman had no clue how to keep the items properly placed in order to know what she’s sold, compared to what hadn’t. How she’s kept her taxes was anyone’s guess, but obviously it had worked, however Joni was going to make it easier for the older woman if she had to drag Annie kicking and screaming into the computer age. An image of her doing just that had her snorting. Annie may be older, but she looked like she could wipe the ground with Joni’s carcass and still take on some others. Her sense of hearing let her know she was no longer alone in the small office, making her look up to see a smiling Annie. “Alright, I’ve got you set up with all your stock right here.” She pointed at the computer monitor. “All you’ll need to do is come in here each week and add in when you get a shipment. However, before adding, let’s just go out and count how many you currently have, delete it from the stock and then,” Joni paused at Annie’s wide eyed look. “What’s the matter?”
Annie smiled. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It is easy. If you get a new item, you just add it here.” Joni showed her how, even going so far as to create a small notebook for Annie. “Just in case I’m not here when it happens.”
“You’re a good girl, Vanessa.” Annie wrapped her arms around Joni, squeezing her hard.
“Nah, I’m a good worker. Now, let’s go out with this here and take real stock.” Joni tapped the papers she had clipped to the clipboard, then handed another to Annie, laughing at the other woman’s groan.
“I take it back. You’re a...you’re a beastly taskmaster.” Annie took her clipboard, and the two of them went to work, counting items that were on their lists, each taking turns when a customer came in to ring them up.
Joni paused when Annie stood up, a low growl coming from the other woman. “I hate that man with every fiber of my being.” Annie spat.
The man in question was walking toward them dressed in a suit that Joni knew had to cost way more than she’d spent on her entire wardrobe. “Who is he?”
Annie waved her hand as the door opened. “Afternoon Mikey, what brings you in today?”
“It’s Michael now, Annabel. Where’s your...” he paused as he noticed Joni. “Ah, who do we have here, another lost one you’re trying to save?”
The older woman stepped in front of Joni.
“That’s none of your concern. I don’t believe we have anything you want here, Mikey.”
Joni thought it strange the way the newcomer spoke, and the way Annie tried to protect her, but the other man gave her the creeps. Although she wanted to run to the office and hide, she didn’t want to leave Annie alone to face the other man. He reminded her of Keith in a slimy, I’m all up in my own ass kind of way.
“Ah, there’s Hollis now. Did you want to speak with him?” Joni asked.
Mike the douchenozzle froze, his assuredness not quite so apparent. “No, I stopped by to see if you were ready to sell this place yet?”
Annie rolled her eyes. “My answer is the same as always. No.”
“One day your answer will be yes to all my questions.”
“Her answer will always be no, Mikey. Now, unless you want my fist to meet your face again, I suggest you take yourself and your fancy suit out of my space.” Hollis cracked his neck back and forth. The flannel shirt he wore, stretched at the seams and was only partially buttoned, while the jeans he wore looked like they’d seen better days.
“Still uncivilized I see, Hollis,” Mike sneered.
Hollis looked Mikey up and down. “Still a pussy in a suit I see, Mikey. You want to tangle with me, again?”
Mike took a step backward, followed by another until he reached the door. Joni could smell fear and power. Goodness, Hollis was letting off so much power she’d swear he was an alpha in human skin.
“One day, you’ll get knocked down, and I’ll be there to watch it,” Michael promised, took one last look over his shoulder before walking out the door. The car he got into looked too small for a man of his size, but he folded himself in and roared off.
Joni raised her hand before speaking. “Okay, first of all let me say, wow. Second, did you see that roller skate on wheels he got into. How the fuck did he fold himself into it?”
Hollis looked at her then Annie, then burst into laughter. “Kid, I’ve asked myself that many times and still have no damn clue. I think he has no balls, which means he can bend himself into a pretzel. You two okay?”
Annie walked up to him and buried her face into his chest, her arms wrapping around him. “I hate him so much.”
Hollis rubbed his cheek over the top of her head. “I know, baby. Vanessa, can you hold down the fort here for a few while me and Annie go into the office?”
Joni lifted her clipboard. “No problem. You two take your time.” She heard a slight sniff and hated Mikey for making Annie cry, but loved Hollis for being there to make her better. As soon as the door shut, her mind raced, wondering how the other man knew to come running. A look at the clock showed it was almost lunch time, so she brushed it off that’d he’d been planning to come for lunch. “Oh shit, was he coming for a nooner?” she whispered as she looked at the closed office door, but she didn’t hear anything. Although her wolf was suppressing itself, she still had excellent hearing. Not wanting to overhear them, she popped her earbuds in and went to work taking down stock.
Atlas ran a tired hand over his face, the taillights of the last vehicle disappearing down the lane. Oh, he had no delusions there would be some grumblings come morning light, but they’d meet with the same answer he gave tonight, which was a big fat fuck you. He was the destined white bear, or so says the prophecy. The only shocking thing from the evening was that his mother hadn’t shown her face, especially with all her children there. Hell, he’d almost been prepared to be—cordial in the eyes of the clan. Thankfully he hadn’t had to.
“Mother is probably making plans on how and when to show up with demands. Ya know, being she’s the matriarch and all,” Shauny snarled, plopping down on the sofa nearest the window.
He looked over his shoulder, taking in her tired appearance. “You staying the night?”
Shauny kicked one leg over the arm negligently while she bit on her thumbnail, her eyes glassy. “Does this place bring back any memories for you?” she asked.
Abyle walked in, coming to a hard stop at her question. “Memories? Yeah, I remember having to cut my own switch from the backyard so that bastard could strap me for whatever reason he felt I’d fucked up. Did you know if you remove all the leaves from one of them suckers, and a man with the kind of strength dear old dad had, a single strike can almost slice straight to the bone?” he asked almost casually.
“Don’t,” Atika snarled. “She’s not to blame for the sins of the father.”
“Fuck, Shauny, I’m sorry.” Abyle lumbered over to the sofa, sitting next to their shocked sister, his arm sweeping her into his side. “Daddy dearest was a mean bastard on the best days, at the end.”
Atlas turned back toward the window. He’d known their dad had whipped both twins, hell, he himself had experienced a strapping more than a few dozen times, had the scars to prove it. Unlike his brothers, he hadn’t gotten his marks covered with tattoos. As the white bear, it had been physically beaten into him not to mar his skin, or the Goddess wouldn’t bless him with the gifts needed for the future. Now, looking out at the darkness, he thought of Joni and wished things were different. Wished for things to be different. Only a look backward and the words he’d heard from the ethereal female they worshipped reminded him there were things greater than his own needs. His heart ached, the painful loss of his truemate nearly brought him to his knees. Now that he’d taken the mantle of alpha, he could follow his heart, doing exactly what the Goddess had planned.
“Atlas, did you hear me?” Shauny asked, touching his arm.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Sorry, can you repeat that, I was thinking of a million things.” Not a total lie.
“We came with you, so unless you’re going to take us home, you gonna let me borrow your vehicle?” She blinked innocently up at him.
He heard a loud cough from behind her, glancing up to see Abyle shaking his head, his hands around his throat dramatically. “Err, how about I drive you back? I could use some fresh air anyhow.”
Shauny looked over her shoulder, then back at him with a glare. “Which one of those asshats did it?”
Atlas tried to act innocent, but a smile split his lips. “No clue what you’re talking about. So, you ready?” He pulled his keys out, tossing them in the air, catching them before she could, knowing he was teasing her, something he’d missed doing.
“Oh, I see how it is. You three going to stick together then? Fine, but remember, I always get even, and when I do, you’ll be begging me for mercy.” She turned and flipped her hair over her shoulder with a huff, heading toward the huge entryway door.
“Ah shit, you two done pissed baby bear off,” Atika joked.
Their sister raised her right hand in the air, middle finger extended. “Sit and spin, asswipes, but just remember this when you need me to intervene on your behalf.”
Abyle shrugged. “Guess we’ll just have to be more—inventive ourselves.”
“You mean you’ll have to stop inviting every bitch in heat at the local bars to come back to your place, then when they want to stay the night, you call up sis here to come and tell them party is over in a sweet way?”
“Yep, now I’ll just tell them they can come back with me for a good time, but when we’re done, they gotta go. If they ain’t on board with it, then bye Felicia.” Abyle waved his hand at the end.
Atlas looked to the ceiling, then at his twin brothers. “Does he really get laid with that attitude?”
Atika lifted his right shoulder. “I think it’s ‘cause he looks like me.”
“Oh my gawd, you two are too much. Please, take me home before their heads inflate so much they won’t be able to fit in a vehicle. Oh wait, that might be good, then they’d have to shift and run home,” she said with glee.
In that very moment, he remembered why he’d die for the three people in the room with him. They were his family. Until Joni, they were the only people on Earth who mattered more than his own life. “Alright you three, party’s over, let’s get you home before you turn int
o mice or some shit.”
“Pretty sure that’s not how the fairytale goes.” Shauny linked her arm through his as they walked out the door. “You gonna lock that?”
He thought of all who could get in whether it was locked or not. “Nah, if someone wants in that badly, they’ll get in.”
His brothers stopped walking, turning back toward him. With the moon overhead, they were illuminated, looking almost as if they were in a spotlight. “We’ll be back after we grab a few things. You’ll need to call a clan meeting tomorrow and begin putting those you trust in places of power. You don’t have to put either of us in any certain place, but we will make sure you’re protected.” Abyle turned after his announcement, climbed into the back passenger seat, and slammed the door like he’d just told them the weather report.
“I second what he said,” Atika agreed, his eyes fierce. “Anyone tries to hurt you; they’ll have to go through the both of us first.”
Shauny sniffed. “They love you. They really love you,” she deadpanned.
“Did you just misquote Sally Fields?” Atlas asked as he held open the door for Shauny.
“I believe it was she who was misquoted in the first place, so whatevs. Home, James,” she laughed, buckling into the seat while Atlas stared down at her.
“You really are a strange female.” He was still smiling when he got behind the steering wheel. “Is Sonya going to give you a hard time?”
His question brought silence inside the SUV.
The lane to where his family lived loomed and still nobody spoke. His bear stirred, sensing danger. He pushed down on the brakes. “Anyone else feel something’s off?”
Atika rolled his window down, the smell of fire hitting them all. “Fuck! Go, Atlas,” he roared.
He’d already began driving, the SUV eating up the distance down the bumpy drive, smoke billowing up from the main house. Shauny cried out, her hand flying to the door handle. “Mama,” she cried.